History

The story of the New Zealand Geotechnical Society began in 1956 when the second Australia-NZ Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering was held at Canterbury University College. Inspired by this event, Pip Alley (an early pioneer of soil mechanics in NZ) pressed for the formation of a New Zealand National Committee of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering.

Mr Alley, known as Pip to his friends and colleagues and "PJ" to his students at Canterbury University College, had become an individual member of the International Society and was concerned that NZ had no voice within that Society and was in effect, represented by the Australian National Committee.

At the NZIE (now IPENZ) annual conference in Wellington in February 1958, Jack Ridley was appointed by the conference to convene a meeting in Wellington with the purpose of forming a NZ National Committee of the International Society.

This meeting was held on 24 April 1958 and a committee formed which then met on 17 July. Mr Ridley was elected chairman and Roy Northey, secretary. Statutes for the Society were drawn up and the subscription was set at ten shillings per annum. The International Society and the Australian National Committee were informed that the embryo group was under way with the name of 'The NZ National Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering'.

Mr N W Collins took over as chairman for three years from 1959, when Mr Ridley's duties as Project Engineer at Otematata (the Benmore Power Project) made him unable to continue. The first annual general meeting, held at the NZIE annual conference in Christchurch in February 1959, was well attended and ratified the statutes of the Society.

Trevor Jones became chairman in early 1962 when the membership stood at 48 and he held the office for five years until the end of 1966. During the ten year period 1962 to 1972 the membership grew from 48 to nearly 200.

The twice-yearly bulletin NZ Geomechanics News was proposed by John Blakeley, who went on to become the first editor and produced the first issue in November 1970, and the success of this has meant that it continues in the same format today.

In 1972 the society changed its name to the New Zealand Geomechanics Society in order to encompass the disciplines of engineering geology and rock mechanics (NZ Geomechanics News Issue 3). The name was updated again at the 1996 AGM to the New Zealand Geotechnical Society which was felt to embrace a wider breadth of the industry including environmental geotechnics (NZ Geomechanics News Issue 50).

For more on the history of the society there are detailed articles in Issues 16 and 75 of NZ Geomechanics News.

Former committees

Year(s)

Chair

Elected members

Co-opted and appointed members

Ex-officio members

2016-2017

Charlie Price

Tony Fairclough (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Kevin Anderson

Guy Cassidy

Sally Hargraves

Eleni Gkeli

Teresa Roetman (Secretary)

Ross Roberts

Frances Neeson (YGP)

Marlène Villeneuve (NZ Geomechanics News)

Gavin Alexander (Immediate Past Chairman)

Mark Eggers (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Prof Mark Jaksa (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

Stuart Read (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2015-2016

Charlie Price

Tony Fairclough (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Kevin Anderson

Guy Cassidy

Sally Hargraves

Ken Read

Teresa Roetman (Secretary)

Ross Roberts (NZ Geomechanics News)

Frances Neeson (YGP)

Gavin Alexander (Immediate Past Chairman)

Mark Eggers (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Prof Mark Jaksa (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

Stuart Read (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2014-2015

Gavin Alexander

Charlie Price (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Guy Cassidy

Kevin Anderson

Tony Fairclough

Ken Read

Amanda Blakey (Secretary)

Frances Neeson (YGP Representative)

Hamish Maclean (NZ Geomechanics News)

Ross Roberts (NZ Geomechanics News)

David Burns (Immediate Past-Chair)

Ann Williams (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Prof. Mark Jaksa (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

David Beck (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2013-2014

Gavin Alexander

Charlie Price (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Kevin Anderson

Guy Cassidy

Tony Fairclough

Nick Harwood

Amanda Blakey (Secretary)

Luke Storie (YGP Representative)

Hamish Maclean (NZ Geomechanics News)

Camilla Gibbons (NZ Geomechanics News)

David Burns (Immediate Past-Chair)

Ann Williams (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Michael Davies (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

David Beck (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2012-2013

David Burns

Gavin Alexander (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Charlie Price

Tony Fairclough

Simon Woodward

Nick Harwood

Amanda Blakey (Secretary)

Erica Cammack (YGP Representative)

Paul Salter (NZ Geomechanics News)

Hamish Maclean (NZ Geomechanics News)

Philip Robins (Immediate Past-Chair)

Ann Williams (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Michael Davies (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

David Beck (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2011-2012

David Burns

Gavin Alexander (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Charlie Price

Tony Fairclough

Simon Woodward

Sjoerd van Ballegooy

Amanda Blakey (Secretary)

Erica Cammack (YGP Representative)

Paul Salter (NZ Geomechanics News)

Hamish Maclean (NZ Geomechanics News)

CY Chin (Education)

Philip Robins (Immediate Past-Chair)

Ann Williams (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Michael Davies (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

David Beck (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2010-2011

Philip Robins

David Burns (Treasurer & Vice chair)

Charlie Price

Simon Woodward

Sjoerd van Ballegooy

D Stewart

Amanda Blakey (Secretary)

Kate Williams (NZ Geomechanics News)

Paul Salter (NZ Geomechanics News)

CY Chin (Education)

Ann Williams (Immediate Past-Chair)

A Moon (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Michael Davies (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

T Meyers (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2009-2010

Philip Robins

2008-2009

Ann Williams

Richard Young (Treasurer)

David Stewart

Philip Robins

Michael Davies

David Burns

Imrana Azimullah (Secretary)

Liz Bowman (YGP Representative)

Kate Williams (NZ Geomechanics News)

CY Chin (Immediate Past-Chair)

A Moon (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Michael Davies (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

T Meyers (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

2007-2008

C Y Chin

Paul Horrey (Treasurer)

Steve Crawford

2004-2006

Kevin McManus

2003

J Marsh

2002

Steve Crawford

Debbie Fellows (Secretary)

Ian McPherson (Treasurer)

Phil Glassey (NZ Geomechanics News)

John Marsh (Assistant Treasurer)

Guy Grocott (Immediate Past-Chair)

Grant Murray (ISSMGE Australasian Vice President)

Fred Baynes (IAEG Vice President)

Chris Haberfield (ISRM Vice President)

2000-2001

Guy Grocott

Ian McPherson (Treasurer)

Steve Crawford (Stability Guidelines)

John Berrill (Christchurch)

Debbie Fellows (Secretary)

Chris Bould (Auckland)

Grant Murray (NZ Geomechanics News)

John Henderson (Dunedin Branch Coordinator)

Paul Burton (Pay of Plenty / Waikato Branch Coordinator)

Mark Mitchell

Bruce Riddolls (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

Chris Haberfield (ISRM Australasian Vice President)

1998-1999

Geoff Farquhar

Debbie Fellows (Secretary)

Ian McPherson (Wellington)

Jaime Bevin (Auckland)

Grant Murray (Treasurer)

Guy Grocott (Christchurch)

Eric Hudson-Smith (NZ Geomechanics News)

Steve Crawford (Stability Guidelines)

Bruce Riddolls (IAEG Australasian Vice President)

1996-1997

C N Newton

Geoff Farquhar (Secretary)

1993-1995

David Bell

Geoff Farquhar (NZ Geomechanics News)

1992

Dr C J Graham

1991

Dr C J Graham

1990

Dave Jennings

Chris Graham (Management Secretary)

Dick Beetham (Vice chair IAEG, Publications

Colin Newton (Vice Chair ISSMFE, Treasurer) ** First time “Treasurer” has been listed